Solo Availability

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Anyone have any insight into the availability of the Solo?

With all the magazine articles and hype the last couple of months, I would have thought Kimber would have corrected what ever was going on with the quality/reliability issues I've seen on various forums.

I prefer the 1911 style and after handling one at a dealer put my name on the list. Still waiting - probably a good thing from what I have read.

I put my name on the waiting list back in jan, got a call last week that my gun finally came in, based on a bunch of recent articles on the pistol, I decided to take it and hope for the best. Its a sweet shooting gun, when it fires. Took it to the range, only using the ammo they recommend, and started the break in period. first shot great, second shot, hmmmmmmmm no second shot, trigger wasnt set. the slide worked and the round was ejected and a new one was loaded but the reset didnt happen, ended up running about 40 rounds through the pistol hoping something good would happen but it never did, one round at a time is all i could get, FYI if I pulled the slide back by hand it reset the trigger. so it does work just not with its normal action. To make a sad story end, the gun is on its way back to Kimber for review and hopefully repair. Let you know what i get back as soon as i do. The bad part is the gun is a reallly good shooter when it fires. Love the trigger and the feel and its accurate. Just gotta make it work damn it.

While waiting for the Solo to come available, I got rid of my .380 and 9mm Kel-Tecs (not a slam, I just don't like the long DA triggers - the reason I am interested in the Solo) and picked up a Sig p238. Very nice trigger and overall package. I would prefer (a.45 really - just too big for me to pocket carry comfortably) a SA 9mm, but believe a .380 with the available ammo will be satisfactory. So I will only go for the Solo if the bugs are ironed out.

Bought my Solo last week and fired 95 rounds through it. During the firing, the bottom floor plate "bit" my ring finger, drawing blood. Not fun to shoot anymore with an injured finger. I took the mag out and put it on a belt sander and ground down the part of the floor plate that sticks out past the mag well. That may be a fix but I'm looking for an extention or base pad to put on the bottom of the mag. Nobody that I can find has either for the Solo yet. Does anyone know if there is something else out there such as the Kahr PM9 base pad that may fit the mag? I've tried Midway USA, Pearce Grips, Brownells. Kimber says they are going to make an extended mag but they don't know when. The floor plate slides on the bottom of the mag so maybe something else will slide on as well.

It's a dog. Impact Guns told me Kimber delayed shipping due to the many problems the gun was having going bang.

I am waiting to see if Beretta Nano delivers.

Nice looking gun and Kimber has always been top notch, but after reading about the selective ammo needed to run the gun it sounds troubling for the solo. I can assure you of one thing the Nano will be dead nuts reliable with any ammunition you feed it if not anything else. According to Beretta the nano was designed on a 40 cal platform and extensively tested for durability and reliability. It sure doesn't look like a Beretta and it's beretta's first attempt at marketing a sticker fired pistol, but we'll see. I haven't got a bad Beretta yet except for the recoil spring issue with my early run PX4 Compact, but beretta sent me the updated spring and it runs 100%. I've always wanted a Kimber 1911 however.

For a while Sig sold the "X-Grip" mag - which added a pinky extention and one more round. You can see it listed at Sig Sauer P238 magazines - Top Gun Supply where I bought one. Checked Sig's web site and they no longer offer it but do offer a Sig product with the same description. My X-Grip for the P238 is a good magazine. Checked the Web for X-Grip and found the orig company at XGRIP : Sub-Compact Handgun Magazine Adapters :, but their list of pistols does not include the Solo. You might contact them and see if it coming - or if they have one for another pistol that will slide on.

Unfortunately, I think you are right. The purpose of my original post was to see if anyone had any insight into Kimber's Solo product improvement and marketing strategy - apparently there isn't any - at least that involves an improved product that they are making public.

The solo sure is a pretty gun, hope Kimber fixes it, maybe a lighter recoil spring like the fixed issues with the new GEN 4 G19''s and the early run Beretta PX4 compacts? Kimber management needs to fire up some asses.

I too put my name on a list for a Solo in Jan.
Got it yesterday and fired it today.
Put about 150 rounds of several different brands and weights. Hardball and hollow ppoints, 115gr to 146 gr. No problems!
Just what I expected.
Only problem is lack of extra magazines. Takes a while to shoot one mag, load and repeat the process.
Ready to carry.....with extra magazines.

Got one in March. It kept not extracting the spent round and the slide stuck on the net one. Sent it back and it was returned with a new barrel and new magazine. (I have no idea) the problem continued plus the slide would not stay locked back. At this point I took it to the LGS. The gunsmith estimated I'd fired "15 to 20,000 rounds" and was shocked to hear it was only 700.
The barrel and slide were knocking metal off each other, the notch to hold the slide Bach was worn round and you could push the magazine baseplate off with a thumb. In short the gun was worn out. Kimber did replace it but I never fired the new one, just traded it in. Understand it was a dog also.
Used only the Kimber Solo Approved ammo list. About the only bullets that worked were 147gr. The approved list has now been greatly changed from when I first saw it. It's not just a dog but one with fleas, mange, scurvy and dandruff.

Got one in March. It kept not extracting the spent round and the slide stuck on the net one. Sent it back and it was returned with a new barrel and new magazine. (I have no idea) the problem continued plus the slide would not stay locked back. At this point I took it to the LGS. The gunsmith estimated I'd fired "15 to 20,000 rounds" and was shocked to hear it was only 700.
The barrel and slide were knocking metal off each other, the notch to hold the slide Bach was worn round and you could push the magazine baseplate off with a thumb. In short the gun was worn out. Kimber did replace it but I never fired the new one, just traded it in. Understand it was a dog also. Used only the Kimber Solo Approved ammo list. About the only bullets that worked were 147gr. The approved list has now been greatly changed from when I first saw it. It's not just a dog but one with fleas, mange, scurvy and dandruff.

While waiting for the Solo to come available, I got rid of my .380 and 9mm Kel-Tecs (not a slam, I just don't like the long DA triggers - the reason I am interested in the Solo) and picked up a Sig p238. Very nice trigger and overall package. I would prefer (a.45 really - just too big for me to pocket carry comfortably) a SA 9mm, but believe a .380 with the available ammo will be satisfactory. So I will only go for the Solo if the bugs are ironed out.

I thought a pocket 45 was a myth also until I saw the ParaOrd PDA/LDA. I've carried a 45 for over 50 years but nothing like this. It is only slightly bigger than the micro 9mms being sold today. Mainly it's slightly wider. It's only a couple of ounces heavier fully loaded, comes with night sights and is deadly accurate right out of the box, and I never thought I'd say this, I LOVE the LDA trigger. It's as good as any custom tuned S&W revolver and you can carry it fully loaded, ready to go in your pocket because the hammer isn't cocked. I carry it in a DeSantis pocket holster and don't even know it's there. Do yourself a favor and look at it. You won't buy a mini 9mm if you do.

Check out the Beretta Nano YouTube video part 1 Beretta stripped all lubricant from a Nano and completely destroyed a paper Target with 1,000 rounds. I know its marketing but I am assuming the Nano had no FTF in those 1,000 rounds. Seriously, if a pocket size 9mm can really fire 1,000 rounds in one sitting with no lubricant and no FTF there would be no reason to own any other concealed pocket gun.

I got my Solo back from Kimber a couple of days ago, they show they adjusted the mag catch, replaced the trigger bar and the trigger bar spring, went to my local range, purchases some of the specific ammo they recommended and also took along couple of boxes of Aquilla target ammo, good news is the gun ran fine now. fired every time, ejected, reset and locked back at the end of the mag, I even tried a few mags full of the Aquilla with no problems. The gun was accurate and easy to fire, recoil wasnt that bad and like it a tad better then my Kahr CM9, mostly because of the trigger, a lot easier to feel and control. I feel a little better now and have to purchase a couple more mags as soon as any show up somewhere. Will take it to the range a couple more times and if there are no problems will move it over to my primary carry gun in the future. Keep the faith, maybe they finally got it right.

I got my Solo back from Kimber a couple of days ago, they show they adjusted the mag catch, replaced the trigger bar and the trigger bar spring, went to my local range, purchases some of the specific ammo they recommended and also took along couple of boxes of Aquilla target ammo, good news is the gun ran fine now. fired every time, ejected, reset and locked back at the end of the mag, I even tried a few mags full of the Aquilla with no problems. The gun was accurate and easy to fire, recoil wasnt that bad and like it a tad better then my Kahr CM9, mostly because of the trigger, a lot easier to feel and control. I feel a little better now and have to purchase a couple more mags as soon as any show up somewhere. Will take it to the range a couple more times and if there are no problems will move it over to my primary carry gun in the future. Keep the faith, maybe they finally got it right.

Good to hear. Maybe I can stop holding my breath. I've been on a waiting list for the stainless for the better half of a year. I was hoping things would get worked out before I received mine.

A lot of blogs (and bloggers) have bits from people trashing firearms. My first bit of advice might be to talk to those that actually own those firearrms rather than listen to a guy that knows a guy.
The second thing might be to consider the source. Lads that have problems with every gun they've ever owned might not be an ideal source for information...or anything else.

I own a Kimber Solo, and have been shooting mine regularly since March. Moreover, I have shot quite a few handguns over the last thirty years, with a strong (and competitive) bias towards 1911s. Many gunstores know me by sight, if not by name, as I actually buy a lot of handguns and sell a lot of handguns.

When I first went from 1911s to double actions (KAHR), I had problems shooting them accurately...but I practiced rather than blame the gun. It took a while, but I became quite proficient with them. Some guns are harder to shoot than others, and smaller guns are harder than bigger guns.

To some people, this is a PITA....I personally enjoy the challenge.

At the local gunstore as well as the Cabelas in Michigan, the salesmen tell the same stories about the Kimber Solo:

1) The silver silver Solos have problems with the finish, and Kimber has suspended production of those until at least year end.

2) It is possible to assemble the Solo so that the slide locks back upon every shot (I did this once). Assembling the Solo correctly eliminates the problem.

3) Many people try to use cheap lightweight ammo despite the specific warnings against it. They then complain about FTFs and FTEs. When told they have used the wrong ammo, they then complain that they don't want a gun that is ammo specific.

4) The Kimber Solo has almost scary accuracy off the bench. The problem is that it takes more practice to bring that real accuracy into the realm of practical accuracy...and too many would rather blog than shoot.

Mine feeds flawlessly and fires flawlessly, other than the time I tried the CCI 115gr (not on the list) because I had a case of it. Switching to American Eagle 115gr...and shooting all kinds of heavier stuff resulted in no problems.
The trigger is better than the Kahr (lighter, shorter), and the ergonomics are perfect for me...which is not to say the ergonomics are perfect for someone else.

Anyone can learn to shoot anything if they are willing to learn...if you want 'cake', then buy a 1911. But my Solo is completely reliable and I trust it. Oh yes...having a Kimber Aegis Pro seize up twice with Cor-Bon put me off those, even though it might have been a one-off deal. So I'm not wedded to Kimber.

And, by the way, the Kimber Solo is reliable with the hottest defense stuff out there (which is the Cor-Bon original 115gr hollowpoint).